Austin Seminary Honors Two Alumni for Distinguished Service

Rev. Ruben Armendáriz and Rev. Judith Henderson were honored as the 2012 Austin Seminary Association’s (ASA) Award for Service recipients for their dedication and outstanding service to the church and community. This honor is bestowed on outstanding Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary alumni each year during the ASA Banquet. Award recipients are nominated by their peers and community and selected by the ASA Awards Committee and Board.

Rev. Ruben Armendáriz

The Reverend Ruben Armendáriz, of San Antonio, served in the U.S. Navy before earning a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Texas at Austin and then a Master of Divinity from Austin Seminary in 1961. After seminary, he served as the organizing pastor of Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church in Dallas, then as the Priest-in-Charge at St. Martins Episcopal Church in Corpus Christi. Ruben was also on the staff of Presbytery Del Salvador in Corpus Christi, as well as the executive director of Hispanic American Institute in Austin.

His list of accomplishments also include teaching as a visiting professor, lecturer, and adjunct professor for the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Austin Seminary, and then McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois, where he served from 1975-1991. His tenure at McCormick included professor of ministry, the director of Hispa

nic Ministries Program, and then vice president for Seminary Operations and Relations.

Ruben returned to Texas in 1991 to lead the Divine Redeemer Presbyterian Church in San Antonio, where he retired. He is currently a church development consultant for Mission Presbytery in San Antonio.

Rev. Sallie Watson and Ruben Armendáriz

The Armendáriz Family

Judith Henderson (center) with husband J. David Henderson and John "Pete" Hendrick

Rev. Judith Henderson

The Reverend Judith “Judy” Henderson (MDiv'97) was also honored as a 2012 DSA recipient for her service to the church. She served in both installed and interim pastor positions after graduating seminary. Now honorably retired, she still preaches and teaches, and serves on Eastern Oklahoma’s Presbytery’s Committee on Ministry.

In 2006, Judy started a new chapter in her ministry when she began teaching at the University of Livingstonia in the southeastern African country of Malawi. In 2008, she was installed as associate pastor of Livingstonia Mission Station Church. As moderator of a partnership between Eastern Oklahoma Presbytery and the University of Livingstonia, she organized delegations from Malawi to Oklahoma in 2007 and 2009.

Last winter, she coordinated the on-site distribution of the contents of a transoceanic container filled with goods for Livingstonia Mission Station and the University of Livingstonia, a mission project of Olympia Presbytery (Washington) Malawi Mission Committee. She currently serves on the Planning Team for the Malawi Mission Network of the PC(USA).